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Ermitage Le Meal Rouge, Maison M. Chapoutier 2012

Tasting Notes

A wine I seem to like more and more every time I taste it, the 2012 Ermitage le Meal is easily the most extroverted, decadent and voluptuously styled Hermitage from this team. Coming from the more limestone soils and warmest spot on Hermitage hill, it exhibits incredible notes of cassis, blackberry, liquid violets, smoked earth and licorice. Full-bodied, deeply fruited and incredibly sexy, it nevertheless never puts a foot wrong, seems weightless in the mouth and offers blockbuster length. I'd happily drink this awesome Hermitage anytime over the coming two decades. There's a tiny 346 cases of this beauty to go around, so don't miss a chance to grab some.

99
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate (216), December 2014

Also decadent and voluptuous, the 2012 Ermitage Le Meal is the sexiest and most textured of the lineup. Exhibiting gorgeous black raspberry, cassis, chocolate, roasted meats and liquid smoke, it is a full-bodied, incredibly layered and pure Syrah that has masses of tannin, yet no hard edges. It too will have two to three decades of longevity.

97/99
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate (210), December 2013
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.